Letter: Ideological letter easily refuted

Tuesday

Feb 25, 2014 at 1:02 AM

Fritz Pfister’s ideological rant (Feb. 10 letter to the editor) gets the facts wrong on so many levels that it’s hard to know where to begin.

First, the “working poor” long have been denied health insurance. Working without benefits? Have a pre-existing condition? Dropped from a job with benefits and can’t afford COBRA? Then you were denied health care access. Obamacare isn’t perfect, but it does mean that millions will now have insurance who didn’t have it before.

Second, Pfitzer conveniently ignores the fact that federal spending went through the roof under President George W. Bush’s administration, largely as a result of “blank-check” spending on the Iraq War, which was based on lies to the American people. Bush squandered President Bill Clinton’s surplus in the most profligate way possible. This surplus could have helped remedy the current health care crisis.

Third, while government subsidy programs increased under Bush Jr. and hit a peak during the Obama administration, entitlement expenditures under President Barack Obama are on the way down, as is deficit spending.

Finally, the assertion that an increased minimum wage amounts to “class warfare” and “does nothing to improve an economy” is wrong, by many economic measures. Apart from the technical details, common sense dictates that if low-income workers have more money in their pockets, they’ll spend more, which in turn will help stimulate the economy.

Pfitzer’s letter regurgitates the most simply refuted political arguments of our time.

Mark Butler

Springfield

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